SCHOOL OUTREACH PROGRAM ONE YEAR LATER

In a bid to enhance information sharing ALIN has established several Maarifa centers across east Africa which facilitates information sharing through a number of platforms such as free Internet access, publications and libraries. One of such centers s located in Isinya.

Early last year(2011) we received a donation by book aid which ranged from children’s book, novels, books on agriculture, human rights, gender, health... you name it, this brought  a lot of excitement among the Maarifa center users, in all this excitement we noticed that  for the longest time  the children’s books section of the library remained unused and even the children that regularly came into the center did not seem interested , this became cause for alert and it was time for affirmative action, if the readers can’t come to us then we shall go to them, this was the beginning of the school outreach program..

In this mobile library initiative a school is allowed to borrow up to a hundred books every day or more and is responsible for the books safety. We decided  to pilot the idea at Isinya primary school.

We first spoke to the then DEO Mr. David Ndungu and briefed him about the idea, he was so excited he gave us a list of other schools in the area. Then we approached Mr. Nyamwaro the head teacher at Isinya primary school and he received the idea with open arms when we informed him of our intention. He immediately designated a teacher “teacher Samuel Kong’ani” who would be the bridge between the Maarifa center and the school, the program rolled out instantly.

Within no time other teachers no longer had to go through teacher Samuel, they came straight to the Maarifa center and signed out books. And for those who had lessons later in the day they would give either the field officer or the volunteer details of books required such as which class how many books etc which would be prepared in advance.

The students now no longer need their teachers to borrow books for them, they comfortably march into the Maarifa center and borrow a book of their choice keeping the Maarifa abuzz with activities one such student is Lydia Awuori a standard 2 pupil she is in 2 blue and last year she was in 1blue she has borrowed a book almost every single school day since last year, this made me really curios on whether the books have been on any help to her. Lydia is really shy but finally she tells me that she was number 4.

Although it is extremely difficult to measure impact in such a situation Mr. Nyamwaro was of the opinion that the books may have to some extent contributed to the good performance of the school in last year’s KCPE, he also feels that the students have been greatly exposed.

And like they say “a good book has no ending” the same applies to the school outreach program, now we roll out in full force and with confidence.